


witness a jaded town

by Lint



Series: My Serpentine [5]
Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F, Serpent Cheryl
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-06
Updated: 2018-08-06
Packaged: 2019-06-22 14:22:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,612
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15583851
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lint/pseuds/Lint
Summary: Honestly, Cheryl expected a bigger adjustment in returning to Riverdale High. Not just for herself, but to her fellow Serpents, who have never really gone to a school where education was an actual goal among its population.





	witness a jaded town

 

 

“Do you ever get tired of this?” Cheryl asks, trying to catch her breath, and wiping away the blood trickling from her nose with the back of her hand.

 

Large Marge is on her hands and knees in the middle of an empty hallway, breathing heavily and trying not to show just how much pain she's in. Cheryl can't even go to the bathroom without having to look over her shoulder, it seems, because two cups of coffee and third period just didn't mix. Walking through the halls of Southside High while being a Serpent, a crime in and of itself whenever a Ghoulie happens to be around.

 

“Because I gotta tell you Margery, I am sick and tired of kicking your ass up and down this school every time you try to jump me.”

 

“Emma,” she grunts, still keeping her eyes on the floor.

 

“I'm sorry?”

 

“My name,” she goes on through grit teeth, taking a moment to spat blood onto the linoleum. “Is Emma.”

 

Cheryl's brow furrows.

 

“Since when?”

 

Large Marge shifts to rest on her knees, sneering at her nemesis, but makes to move to attack again.

 

“Since the day I was born,” she says, then coughs and groans, holding her side where Cheryl had delivered a few swift kicks to the ribs. “But you join a gang, and get a stupid nickname. Big Emma Wultownski just doesn't have the same ring as Large Marge, does it?”

 

Cheryl has no idea what to make of this new development, having nothing to come back with, and is thankfully cut off by the public address speaker.

 

_Attention students and faculty. Due to a city ruling Southside High School with be shut down at the end of the week. Any student with enough credits with be transferred to Riverdale High as of next Monday. All others below the minimum requirement will be asked to report to Midvale Continuation School. This is not a hoax. Good day._

 

Cheryl and Large Marge lock eyes just as nearly every door in the hall bursts open with the student body in near riot form. She doesn't even think twice before spinning on her heels and fleeing for the front door, knowing chaos will reign, and hopes the rest of the Serpents shares the same instinct of fight or flight.

 

Relief washes over her when Toni and Betty are already at their bikes in the parking lot.

 

“Where are the boys?” she asks.

 

“Don't know,” Toni replies. “But Sweet Pea always swore he'd tear this place apart. Looks like today he's finally getting his chance.”

 

Cheryl glances over her shoulder, and wonders how many others felt the same about this nightmare of a school.

 

/\

 

It's nearly midnight, when Betty crawls out of her bedroom window, and takes a seat next to Cheryl perched atop the porch overhang.

 

“Are you nervous about tomorrow?”

 

Cheryl doesn't answer, staring at the dull circle of light shining down from the street lamp just across the way. She hasn't set foot in Riverdale High since she was placed into observation at the County Juvenile Mental Health Annex. Is she nervous to return to a place she once ruled over through fear and intimidation? Where the ones she had judged so harshly could now turn the tables on her? Where now she will be shunned, and rightfully so, by those who at one time catered to her every whim?

 

“It doesn't make any sense,” she replies instead. “Southside is a poor excuse for an academic institution. Everyone knows that. But why shut it down only a month into a new school year?”

 

“You're right, ” Betty agrees. “Something is definitely rotten in the state of Riverdale.”

 

Cheryl looks to her, curious.

 

“Someone has been buying up property, quite a lot, all across the Southside. The Twilight. Sunnyside Trailer Park. So many others, and now this school is being closed? Mom thinks Mayor McCoy is on the take.”

 

Cheryl sighs.

 

“Of course it's something nefarious like an unforeseen land baron, buying up near worthless properties to, do what exactly?”

 

“That's what Mom doesn't know. That, and who's doing all the buying. She's going nuts over it.”

 

“Yeah,” Cheryl concurs. “I saw her whiteboard in the den. Looks like a paranoid conspiracy theorist final thesis for a PHD in crazy.”

 

Betty laughs and bumps her shoulder.

 

“Don't worry about tomorrow,” she insists. “Toni and I have your back. Veronica too.”

 

Cheryl offers a small smile.

 

“In unity there is strength?”

 

“Damn right.”

 

 

/\

 

Veronica has certainly rolled out the welcome wagon.

 

Class schedules, campus maps, and cupcakes are all laid out on a table in the main hall. Cheryl shoots a quick look to Betty, who must not have known her girlfriend was planning this, because the heart eyes radiate from her in such a wave she could start a small fire. Fangs, Sweet Pea, and Joaquin go straight for the cupcakes, while Betty goes straight for Veronica, pulling her girl into a kiss that has any lookers on hooting like mad.

 

“You didn't have to do this,” Betty says quietly.

 

Veronica beams at her.

 

“Of course I did.”

 

Cheryl and Toni are looking over their own schedules, when something is shouted just down the hall, though she doesn't quite hear it. They both look up when a group neanderthal looking jocks start strutting toward them, trying to appear intimidating.

 

“I said,” Reggie Mantle repeats, leading the pack. “You dirty rotten snakes don't belong in our school.”

 

Cheryl's attention quickly shifts to the boys, giving a curt little nod, and they drop the pastries from their hands and move to greet the newcomers. She's amused when Reggie takes a moment to realize he actually has to tilt his head up to meet Sweet Pea's eye, but it's quickly replaced with the same bravado that's causing this little incident.

 

Moose and Kevin are at his sides, though if she had to guess, Kevin was roped into this in some kind of Bulldog solidarity, because he's looking at Veronica and mouthing sorry, over and over again. She doesn't see Archie among this little group, so Mantle must have failed in that respect to get all his teammates in line.

 

“Come again?” Sweet Pea asks, playfully tilting his ear toward Reggie. “Some of us are a little hard of hearing.”

 

Reggie shifts his feet, looking back to his buddies as if to assure himself they still have his back.

 

“I said-”

 

“Reggie, what the hell?”

 

Everyone turns toward the exclamation, to see Josie McCoy standing there with a dubious look on her face, eyes staring daggers into him.

 

“I thought we agreed you weren't gonna do this.”

 

He's like a deer in headlights then, caught between wanting to keep this tough guy intimidation factor going, but is clearly in Dutch with his girlfriend.

 

“Babe,” he pleads, voice low even though everyone can hear him. “Can we talk about this later?”

 

“Uh uh,” she replies with a shake of her head. “You wanna act like an idiot, you're going to have to suffer the consequences. Namely, my absence from your life.”

 

With that she walks off down the hall, and Reggie is really caught between a rock and a hard place. It's a momentary stalemate, his face pinched as if he's sucking on a lemon, before he tears off running after her.

 

The Serpents all laugh watching him go, and Sweet Pea can't help to call after him.

 

“Nice to know who wears the pants in that relationship!”

 

The rest of the Bulldogs disperse without incident after their ringleader is gone, though some still try to do the tough guy stare as they leave, except for Kevin who turns his silent apologies into real ones with Veronica and the rest of them.

 

Cheryl elbows Sweet Pea playfully.

 

“You know I wear the pants in this relationship,” she states. “Right?”

 

“I know,” he replies with a grin. “But dumb jocks like that are always going to think a girl in charge of him is an insult.”

 

/\

 

Honestly, Cheryl expected a bigger adjustment in returning to Riverdale High. Not just for herself, but to her fellow Serpents, who have never really gone to a school where education was an actual goal among its population. Betty is flourishing in a structured environment, gleefully exclaiming with awe that she no longer has to figure everything out for herself, because the teacher genuinely wants her to learn. She might even have a decent shot at getting into college without having to go the JC route first.

 

Toni is blooming as well. Where classes for the arts and extracurricular activities were nonexistent down at Southside, she dives into so many headfirst, her love of photography encouraged and appreciated with a staff that can truly help her skills grow. She accepts the offer to join the Blue and Gold without a moments hesitation.

 

Even the boys have stars in their eyes. Not so much with the education side of things. But Sweet Pea is elated just to have toilets that actually flush, (never a problem for the girl's side of things at the old school), and Fangs jumps into drama club without looking back. Joaquin has even volunteered to help tutor for Spanish classes. (One student who happens to be Kevin Keller, but Cheryl isn't going to comment on that until something is confirmed.)

 

Yes, it does take some getting used to walking through the halls when she's no longer queen bee, but it's also a relief not to be checking over her shoulder every five seconds looking for Large Marge always wanting to throw down. And no, she doesn't try to live some remnant of her old life, with the Vixens or singing backup in the Pussycats. Content to be one of the Southside trash that invaded the school. A taunt several people have no problem tossing at them whenever they happen to feel bold, but it's really nothing compared to their old rivals literally fighting gang style warfare with them on a daily basis.

 

Name calling to knives?

 

Cheryl isn't bothered at all turning the other cheek.

 

Especially with then entire town looks at their enrollment like an experiment just doomed to fail.

 

/\

 

It's someone's idea of a sick joke.

 

When they call Cheryl's name for Winter Formal Queen.

 

Doesn't take a genius to figure out who, and she's fuming that closed minded prank obsessed idiot, has deigned to ruin Toni's first ever school dance by trying to embarrass her. (Betty's too.) It's maddening how each girl doesn't realize the ridiculousness of the announcement, when they think it's just her old friends welcoming her back with open arms. That someone who could triumph over so much tragedy in their life, deserves a little cherry atop her sundae. So much that they nudge her toward the stage to accept the bouquet of flowers and fake plastic crown, when she initially doesn't move an inch.

 

Cheryl eyes look up to the rafters, immediately catching sight of what she expected to see, a plain silver bucket hanging precariously above the microphone onstage where she is to accept her title. She pulls the knife, held by a garter against her thigh, free and cuts the rope holding the bucket. It lands with a wet thud onto the stage, spilling its contents of fake blood in an oozing puddle all over the hardwood. The audience gasps at the display, and does again, when Cheryl takes the flowers but throws the crown right and Reggie Mantle glaring at her in the middle of the dance floor.

 

“Thank you,” Cheryl says into the microphone. “My fellow students of Riverdale High. Who I know had absolutely nothing to do with this little farce. As your former Queen Bee I might have even been tickled pink to steal the crown from someone more deserving. Because that's just the kind of girl I was. But now I ask that you witness the changes in me first hand, because the Cheryl Blossom you feared and worshiped died in a fire.”

 

With that, Cheryl jumps off the stage and heads straight for Reggie, pausing only to toss her closed knife Toni's way before punching his unsuspecting face right in the nose. He drops to the ground quickly, but she kneels down with him to keep the barrage going.

 

“Hey relax!” Reggie shouts, actually blocking a few of her attacks with his arms. “It was just a joke!”

 

“Ha ha ha!” Cheryl shoots back, glad everyone is still too stunned to actually try and interfere. “Classic comedy, trying to Carrie me!”

 

She gets a few more shots in, to his nose again, but both sides of his face as well when someone (Fangs) finally manages to pull her off of him.

 

“You're crazy!” Reggie yells, scrambling to his feet. “What happened to you Blossom? You were one of us! You used to run this place, and now... Now you're just some no good snake!”

 

He emphasizes his point by jutting a finger toward Toni and Betty. Then to Sweet Pea, Fangs, and Joaquin (who was dancing sweetly with Kevin, but Cheryl will save that for later.)

 

“What happened to me?” she asks incredulous, taking a step toward him but held back by Fangs' arm. “My father killed my brother, and then my mother tried to kill me.”

 

Reggie's eyes widen. As if he'd actually forgotten the circumstances that landed her on the Southside in the first place. Lucky him.

 

“I'm so incredibly sorry Reginald,” she spits. “If the only family that ever gave a damn about me, doesn't fit your elitist lust for socioeconomic status.”

 

She looks to Toni, who is seething at the boy that ruined their evening so spectacularly, then shakes loose from Fangs' hold.

 

“Come on mi amor,” she says offering her hand. “I think we've had enough excitement for one night.”

 

/\

 

Day thirteen into a six week solid stretch of detention, where Principal Weatherbee found mercy in his heart for Cheryl starting a fight and possessing a weapon on school grounds considering the circumstances, when she walks up to the house to find Cousin Betty sitting on the porch with her head in her lap.

 

“Betty?” she questions, approaching cautiously, heart automatically in her throat when the girl's tear stained eyes meet hers. “Sweetie, what's wrong?”

 

She takes a seat at her cousin's side, arm automatically going around her shoulders, while Betty just sniffles and tries to find the words.

 

“Mom found out who's buying up all the properties on the Southside,” she offers, staring blankly across the street.

 

“Okay,” Cheryl accepts, slightly confused. “That has reduced you to a sobbing mess because?”

 

“Someone uh,” she starts, then stops again, waiting for a few more tears to fall. “Someone tried to buy the Wyrm today, and were pretty transparent about no not being a viable answer.”

 

Cheryl does not like where this is going.

 

“Someone like who?” she asks.

 

Betty takes a breath.

 

“Hiram Lodge.”

 

Cheryl scowls. Why would that Dapper Don wannabe want anything to do with the Southside? When he's just as biased against the section of town as any other Northsider, and oh. Oh, she gets it now. Why be content with one half of a town, when someone who thinks greed is as natural as air, could have the whole thing for himself to sell to the highest bidder.

 

“I take it you talked to Veronica about this new development?”

 

Betty nods.

 

“And she didn't believe you, of course.”

 

Betty shakes her head.

 

“She said my Mom was just being paranoid. That she had no proof, other than some shady source from a shell corporation her family has never even heard of. That I should know better. Think better of her and her parents. That they aren't a bunch of criminals like...”

 

Cheryl's head tilts to rest against Betty's.

 

“Like us?” she finishes.

 

Betty nods again, a new stream of tears flowing down her cheeks.

 

“But it's true?” Cheryl inquires.

 

“Yeah,” Betty confirms. “Mom did her homework. It's Lodge Industries' shell corporation, despite their denial otherwise. He wants to buy up all of the Southside so he can tear it down and make it just as desirable as the north. Sodale, he calls it. What a stupid name.”

 

“She doesn't believe you,” Cheryl inputs. “That's what hurts to most, isn't it?”

 

Betty sobs audibly, nodding her head once more.

 

“I would never lie to her,” she says. “She should know that. I would never-”

 

“No one wants to believe the worst of their parents,” Cheryl interrupts. “Even if the proof is staring them right in the face.”

 

Betty shifts to her then, eyes wide that she knows Cheryl is speaking from experience, the video of Jason being shot point blank in the head by her own father.

 

“Cheryl...”

 

“Hush,” Cheryl offers, lifting a finger to wipe away some of Betty's tears. “We are focusing on you, right now.”

 

Betty clings to her then, letting all the anguish pour out like an oncoming storm, while Cheryl just pets her hair and coos softly into her ear.

 

/\

 

Two weeks after Betty and Veronica are moping around the halls of Riverdale High without each other, Cheryl finds the brunette in the middle of a bathroom floor, with a sea of pearls cascading around her. Word around town is that Ethel Muggs' father had tried to kill himself over some bad business deals, and that his family had nearly lost all of their savings, and would have to sell their house just to stay above water.

 

Somehow the fact that his business deals almost all had to do with Lodge Industries has been kept on the down low, but Cheryl and Betty have been keeping their ears to the ground for that kind of thing, ever since the attempted purchase of the Whyte Wyrm.

 

Cheryl crouches next to her, offering a placating hand on the girl's shoulder, but she swiftly pulls away.

 

“It's true,” she all but whispers. “Everything Betty told me. Everything I denied and said those awful things to her because of. All true.”

 

Cheryl tries not to judge. She hadn't been particularly willing to accept the rumors, that the great Clifford Blossom had something to do with the death of his own son, once they began to spread. Only when that horrid video was placed in front of her eyes, was she ready to believe, and very nearly lost her sanity because of it.

 

She wouldn't wish such a reality on anyone, let alone Veronica, who was a true friend to her when others had cast her to the wolves.

 

“Do you think Betty will forgive me?”

 

“Of course she will,” Cheryl assures. “She's been miserable without you. Really, an absolute shell.”

 

“I won't let him do it,” Veronica says suddenly, full of determination. “Whatever he's planning, it's not worth it. Not people's lives.”

 

She looks up to Cheryl then, who is taken aback by the seriousness reflected in tear stained eyes.

 

“How are you going to stop him?” Cheryl asks.

 

Veronica smirks.

 

“Beat him at his own game.”

 

/\

 

Months pass before anything Veronica planned comes to fruition, but the results tilt in her favor at the end, and tonight she takes her place among Serpent allies with a smile on her face.

 

“Alright, everyone hush up!” FP shouts, with a drink in hand held above his head. “We're here tonight, as we will be every night from now on, because of one scarily persistent teenage girl. Who was willing, and able mind you, to stand up to Hiram Lodge. To let him know that, despite being being rich and powerful, you can't always get what you want.”

 

The Serpents irrupt into a chorus of cheers, all raising their glasses to Veronica, who accepts all the praise with Betty at her side never looking more proud.

 

“Now the fight is not over,” FP goes on, to everyone booing loudly. “It never is when those Northsiders think they can look down their noses at us. But let's enjoy this victory, shall we?”

 

The Serpents applause loudly again, clinking glasses, and getting rowdy as their subset is wont to do.

 

“I have to ask,” Toni says into Cheryl's ear, as they slink off to a corner of the bar. “What exactly did Veronica do?”

 

“Really?” Cheryl asks, leaning against the wall and pulling Toni closer with the lapel of her jacket. “You want to talk about that right now?”

 

Toni kisses her, hands sliding inside of Cheryl's own jacket, pressing their bodies together.

 

“I'm just curious,” Toni carries on, pulling back from Cheryl's lips. “Hiram Lodge is no slouch. And to be bested by his own daughter?”

 

Cheryl sighs dramatically.

 

“The first moment to ourselves in what feels like forever, and you want to talk about Veronica?”

 

“Baby-”

 

“Ugh, fine. She used a million dollar bounty from a fake kidnapping as seed money for her own underground enterprise, which was instantly profitable and quickly flipped for more legitimate business holdings, which she then dangled in front of her father's face like the proverbial carrot and here we are. Veronica Lodge saves the day, and we can be Southside Serpents left to our own criminal inclinations, at least until the next town wide crisis comes along and tries to tear us apart.”

 

“Oh wow,” Toni comments. “That's... That's really impressive.”

 

“Never cross a Lodge,” Cheryl warns. “Especially our dear, Veronica.”

 

Toni reflects a beat.

 

“Is this really the first moment we've had to ourselves?”

 

Cheryl nods.

 

“How did that happen?”

 

“Too busy getting sucked into other people's drama.”

 

Toni grins wickedly.

 

“Then I guess we better take advantage,” she muses, leaning in for another kiss.

 

 


End file.
